Jeremy Bastian

This hardcover edition collects the first half of the Cursed Pirate Girl comic, which is the brainchild and artistic expression of Bastian, who draws all of the scenes at actual size and does all of the lettering himself. Anyone who has seen the book will instantly recognize what an insane amount of work it is. Half of the joy here is simply peering at the super-detailed ink drawings and trying to figure out what figures are dancing in that tiny bit of decor at the back (trust me, they are show more there).

The other part of the work is, of course, the story -- and potential readers should be warned that only half of it is here, since Bastian is still creating issues of the comic. This isn't technically a graphic novel, so you should expect that cliffhanger at the end. Even so, the story of the young girl off to magical seas in search of her pirate-captain father is intriguing, as long as you like your comics with a healthy dose of the surreal and the absurd. Bastian's images and plot points don't always make sense -- his people feature absurdly proportioned heads or monstrous features, his dead don't always stay dead, his animals are sometimes animals and sometimes not, his main character is the most unlikely of bloodthirsty pirates but she is surrounded by even more unlikely friends, enemies, and events -- but both will keep you turning pages.

This is an elaborate comic fantasy that deserves more attention. In addition, the book itself is a thing of beauty, with true deckled edge pages and an embossed cover, which makes one want to hold it and open it again and again. If you aren't familiar with how remarkable independent comics can be, you really should be. Start here. show less

Cursed Pirate Girl is stunning. There is no artist today in comic books who can draw like Jeremy Bastian. When the first issue of this collection came out years ago, it immediately caught my eye. The detailed black & white line drawings are irresistible. The main character and the story line are at once unique and familiar. Cursed Pirate Girl has an aura about it, that of always having been trapped inside our heads, and Bastian has managed to conjure it like Michelangelo freed his sculptures show more from marble. I would roughly describe it as a more elaborate, weirder Alice in Wonderland on the high seas.



The plot: Cursed Pirate Girl is stranded on an island after having been abandoned by her father, but she does not remember him or know why he left her there. She befriends the daughter of the pompous, aristocratic governor the island and institutes a rebellious streak in the daughter that results in a humiliating interaction (for the governor) with a visiting dignitary. The governor sends an old pirate to kill the Cursed Pirate Girl, but instead, she escapes with her faithful parrot sidekick and heads off in search of her father whom she asserts is one of the greatest pirate captains sailing the Omerta Seas—mystical oceans teeming with bizarre creatures. Apparently, she has some mystical powers herself thanks to being the daughter of a true pirate captain, including the ability to breathe underwater and fearlessness. Adventure ensues.


Thematically, the story is straightforward. There is a sense of Robin Hood. A sense of the underdog as the hero, the rich and powerful as the victimizers. Pirates aren't necessarily good, but they are the counterbalance to the arrogance of the merchants and aristocrats. Pirates are not strictly idealized, although the heroine certainly is. Cursed Pirate Girl encounters sleazy, ugly, vicious pirates and noble ones as well. I also note a comfort with the strange. Strangeness as normal.



Cursed Pirate Girl is just so damn fun, so damn creative, and so damn beautiful that I urge you to pick it up. The hardback collected edition is wonderful to hold. The quality of the paper is impeccable with tactile deckled edges. There's even a few extra snippets of story and a four-page fold-out "Wanted Poster" of the Cursed Pirate Girl. When I met Jeremy at two different comic book conventions, I snapped up some limited edition prints he was offering. He's a laid back and very pleasant person. I suspect he's going to be a sought after fine artist for the rest of his life, but I hope he'll have time to continue this comic.


If you have any interest in graphic storytelling, if you have any interest in illustrative art, if you have any interest in black & white ink drawings, if you have any interest in adventure stories, if you have any interest in young female protagonists of heroic stature, if you have any interest in oddity and the surreal, if you like Alice in Wonderland, if you have any interest in any of these, then I urge you to get this book! You will not be disappointed. show less

This book is stunningly beautiful. The incredibly detailed and delicate black and white illustrations bring the ancient art of scrimshaw to mind, and the ragged paper edges of the hardbound copy of this book give it the feel of an historical tome.

The admirably brave and independent Cursed Pirate Girl leaves her tiny beachfront cave for the treacherous Omerta Sea on a quest to find the father who was forced to abandon her years ago. Aided by a wise parrot and two foolish water knights, the show more Cursed Pirate Girl laughs in the face of danger, inspires subversive action against bad and dangerous pirate captains and curries the favor of the elemental winds. But will she find her father? show less

Where to begin?

For starters, this graphic novel has some of the most beautiful, intricate artwork in it that I have ever seen! It took me twice as long as normal to read this book because I kept getting lost in the visual details. The main character, the Cursed Pirate Girl, is adorable, yet powerful (reminiscent of Hit Girl from Kick Ass, though in no way a rip off). It’s easy to empathize with her as she quests to find her father. The story is a magical adventure filled with parrots and show more treasure and all things pirate. It has a whimsical charm to it that almost feels like the entire thing is happening inside the Cursed Pirate Girl’s mind. This book is pretty much everything you would want out of a pirate story and more, and I can’t wait to read the next installment. show less